We call it "elephant games" after an article I read in an old dog sports magazine...about teaching this to puppies...it's reminiscent of the old circus elephants on their circular "perches".

Here's the first video...(turn your speakers down if you don't want to hear annoying Inara whining)...but if you're a training nerd, you'll want to hear it...to see how frustrated she gets by the smallest things. Sorry I chopped her head off...hard to tell when setting up the camera yourself!

She *has* done this before, on numerous occasions...but it's always like it's a new thing for her.

Those are all awfully cute. Here's a dumb question: why do you want to build rear end awareness in dogs? (I have rear end awareness, but I can't imagine dogs need to worry about whether their bottom looks big in those jeans.)

tiva wrote:Those are all awfully cute. Here's a dumb question: why do you want to build rear end awareness in dogs? (I have rear end awareness, but I can't imagine dogs need to worry about whether their bottom looks big in those jeans.)

I definitely have that awareness too...unfortunately mine didn't kick in until after I posted these videos with me in my saggy butt jeans.

I do flyball with my gang, and part of flyball is doing a "swimmer's turn" where they get all four feet up on the flyball box. Teaching them to be aware that they have back feet/legs helps with this...as well as helping with other sports and activities. My guys dabble in agility too, and it's helpful for them to know, so they don't drag their back feet/legs up the a-frame and dog-walk like most of the pet dogs that I see in class.

We also train Assistance Dogs, and I like for them to be able to handle anything that's thrown at them, including having to know where those feet are, so they're more stable while working.

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

I am going to try this with Kinzyl. She learned, without my clicker, that when it is so wet outside she goes to the towel before she comes inside the door. I started wiping her feet everytime she came in. I think she is such creature of habit and learns from that. I might be reading something else into it. She got the go to the map very quickly. (Thanks to Sarah) I love this kind of work with them.